Need advice- Shingles?

Mulan · Aug 30, 2012

I don't know but for future reference I would keep my personal business to myself.

Good luck.

uRNmyway, ASN, RN · Aug 30, 2012

Lol, yeah, no kidding, Ive learned that one the hard way. I mean, its not like I was asking anyone to poke and prod at it. I was staying far away and just asking for advice based on what the rash looked like. But anyways, that won't happen anymore. I am just hoping that there is some kind of reimbursement I can get for the MD bill...

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Aug 30, 2012

I'm sorry for your situation. However, your original thought was that it was a form of HFMD due to exposure from your own child. HFM is contagious ( CDC - HFMD - Overview of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease ) You showed your rash to your coworkers asking for advice, who in turn appropriately addressed their concerns with your supervisor. As obligated by law, your supervisor required you to get a fitness for duty evaluation from a qualified health care practitioner as a condition of work. So in answer your question, not only do the labor laws allow her to do this, but the labor laws require her to do this.

Unless you can prove you were exposed at work and thus developed the condition, which is impossible as per: CDC - Shingles Overview - Herpes Zoster CDC - Shingles Transmission - Herpes Zoster you have no claim against your employer to request reimbursement for the medical treatment. Your employer has an obligation to require you to prove that you are not contagious and fit for duty. Unless you had an on the job illness or injury your employer has no obligation to pay the medical costs.

sharpeimom · Aug 30, 2012

Sometimes, it's a good idea to keep your mouth closed and not share some things.

Some doctors will take payments under certain conditions -- like medical insurance that hasn't kicked in yet. Try asking the billing

clerk or the office manager. I'd even ask the doctor him/herself.

ddunnrn · Aug 30, 2012

I must admit I'm a bit concerned about the circumstances and certain responses here. You knew you had a serious enough medical condition to ask others about, but you didn't think that going to work, and possibly exposing others was a problem? Also, "keeping your mouth shut" is not an option when you could be endangering others. Your supervisor did the right thing. I'm sorry you didn't have medical coverage, and that's one reason our medical system needs to change. I hope your shingles case is a minor one, but unfortunately the meds for shingles are very expensive if you don't have insurance.

uRNmyway, ASN, RN · Aug 31, 2012

I do realize now that I shouldnt have been showing anyone. I guess in my defense I figured since no one was actually touching it I wasnt risking anyones health. As far as my initial question, I thank everyone for the responses I got. Im not one of those who will get upset or offended when I dont hear what I want to hear lol. Being new to the US, I am not very familiar with policies and everything, so I just wanted more information as to what is common or not. And since I have been at this job, my boss often does things that I consider kind of lazy and unethical, so I just wanted to make sure she was in the right. I used to work directly in a hospital, and if I needed to see a doctor, my colleagues would just have me leave my name at the ER and continue the shift while I waited my turn, but Ive never been FORCED to go see a doctor before returning to work.

When it comes to the medical coverage, yes, it sucks that I dont have any coverage yet. The meds were not too expensive though. Costco only charged me 22$. The MD visit was 80$. From what Ive seen if I DID have insurance, most co-pays are around 50$ anyways. But since I come from Canada where we dont get charged up front for healthcare, let me tell you, the taxes associated with 'free' healthcare are so ridiculously high, it is still cheaper to pay for these things out of pocket.

And yes, its a fairly mild case of Shingles. Mild enough that the MD only gave me topical lidocaine for it. Apparently the man has never felt the pain associated with Shingles, but thats besides the point I guess.

Cold Stethoscope · Aug 31, 2012

But since I come from Canada where we dont get charged up front for healthcare, let me tell you, the taxes associated with 'free' healthcare are so ridiculously high, it is still cheaper to pay for these things out of pocket.

Talk to someone who has cancer but no insurance and get back to me. Or talk to someone in his 40's paying $800 a month for mediocre coverage with high hospitalization co-pays. Some insured people here go bankrupt after being treated for a serious illness. Is that common in Canada?

You have no insurance because either you can't afford it, you can't obtain it, or you're a wild gambler. But then, if you got really sick, you could just cross the border for treatment, right?

Do you imagine the money your employer uses to pay your twice-as-expensive-as-Canada's health insurance just rains down from heaven? It comes out of your salary.

And now you know that your colleagues are your colleagues, not your sisters. Welcome to America.

uRNmyway, ASN, RN · Aug 31, 2012

Talk to someone who has cancer but didn't find out about it until it was nearly end stage because they either didn't have a PCP (because they all have full patient loads) or because they couldn't get an appointment for the next 6 months. I get that insurance here is expensive, but in Canada, with taxes as high as they are, if you are overall healthy, not using the healthcare system other than just yearly checkups or wtv (if you are lucky enough to have a PCP) then you are still paying close to half your income in taxes for healthcare that you don't use. And let me tell you, if you pay like 20 000$+ a year in taxes, it quickly adds up to the kind of bills you would pay for hospital stays.

And for now, I have no insurance because I am trying to catch up on lost income time and pay off other bills. I have been looking into short term insurance until I get covered by my employer after my 90-day probation period. And no, since I am here, I couldn't just 'cross the border' if I get sick. If I don't pay taxes, I can't use the healthcare.

Yes, of course I realize that the insurance comes out of my paycheck. I am really not that dumb. But the money taken out of my pay is STILL less if you factor in the difference in taxes paid here or in Canada.

And just to make things clear, the care I was referring to when I mentioned paying things out of pocket was clinic visits, not hospital stays, so no need to get your panties up in a bunch. I have been in so many healthcare debates regarding socialized medicine vs. what I would consider corporate medicine, and that is not the conversation I was looking to have on here.

However, I do thank you for your comment about sisters vs. colleagues. I am definitely very aware of that now. Again though, I dont think it is an issue of Canada or America. I think it is more about working in an all female workplace. Being a woman, I feel I am allowed to say that women tend to talk behind each others backs more than men do.

DowntheRiver · Aug 31, 2012

My parent's health insurance kicked me off when I was 23 at the very end of my cancer treatment. I didn't go bankrupt, but I did go into a lot of debt and my credit is just now rebounding 4 years later. That doesn't mean I don't greatly sympathize with the original poster. I just considered myself fortunate enough to be alive after all that. No doubt, I'd have the same concerns as the OP as well.

uRNmyway, ASN, RN · Aug 31, 2012

Dont get me wrong, I totally understand the debt, the bankruptcy and all that. However, if I had to choose between bankruptcy but prompt, qualified, skilled services, or not paying a dime but possibly waiting too long to get the treatment I need, or not having enough staff/equipment/technology on hand to get myself treated, I think I would probably prefer the better treatment with 7 years of terrible financial backlash. My families health and wellbeing trump a good credit score.

Cold Stethoscope · Aug 31, 2012

Yes, of course I realize that the insurance comes out of my paycheck. I am really not that dumb. But the money taken out of my pay is STILL less if you factor in the difference in taxes paid here or in Canada.

You seem to think that all your tax money goes to health insurance. It's simply not true. At the end of the day, what matters is how much it costs in total, and the quality of the service (i.e., the value). You don't like paying for the Canadian social safety net? Fine. The bottom line is that Canadian healthcare, while not the standard of perfection in the world, is much less expensive per capita than American healthcare (though it's not as efficient as the systems in Europe), and it provides, on the average, better outcomes. And guess who pays for all those people who show up at the emergency room without insurance, as you will if you have an accident or an acute episode of an undiagnosed illness. Do you think you're invincible because you're young and healthy?

And just to make things clear, the care I was referring to when I mentioned paying things out of pocket was clinic visits, not hospital stays,

Right, because there is zero probability that you'll have an acute attack of something, or that you'll have a serious accident, etc.

so no need to get your panties up in a bunch.

Is that expression misogynistic or homophobic? Or both? I don't wear panties.

I have been in so many healthcare debates regarding socialized medicine vs. what I would consider corporate medicine, and that is not the conversation I was looking to have on here.

Lady, you brought up the topic.

Canadian insurance companies provide expat coverage. I don't know what it costs, but it's something to think about. Does your daughter have health insurance? If you get really sick, guess who pays, if your Canadian coverage is lapsed?